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This was a extremely helpful source that explained the differences of the three cortical fibers. Though I knew about the roles that white fibers fulfilled, it was clarifying to read this source on the differences among the specific fibers. The commissural fibers connect the two hemispheres of the brain. Association fibers connect different gyri together. Since gyri gyrate in an up and down fashion, the association fibers create a U-shape, so they are sometimes called U-fibers. Projection fibers connect the cortex to the lower brain and brainstem. This article was extremely helpful, as parts of the basal ganglia and limbic systems had been confusing me. In particular the corpus callosum and fornix in these systems had been confusing me as to what they did. This source explained that they just bus the information, and do not have a complicated internal structure, like many of the nuclei in that region. This really helped me understand these two systems, and the roles that each component plays within them.

This site told me more about the cortex. The differences in how the depth of the cortex changes in different parts of the brain is explained, as its role changes as the white fibers below it have different input locations depending on where in the brain you observe. The different neural layering patterns are shown with colored images, and the differences in how the neurons are connected in varying parts of the brain are also shown. The article also explains the advantages of having gyri in the brain, and how the general structure of the cortex is set us so as to maximize space efficiency. Compared to a mouse brain, which is smooth and does not have any sulci, it makes clear how these oscillating structures provide higher levels of cortical processing. This source also gives insight to how the cortex works, and proved to be of use when I was creating my brain portfolio.